Now in Training: Rambo Rabbis

According to New York rabbi Gary Moscowitz, pretty much anybody could walk into a synagogue, “say ’Shabbat shalom,’ and then blow the place up and start shooting.” Or, he says, they could just run in with a gun screaming “Allah akhbar, or whatever.” It’s for this reason, and recent threats to city temples, that he started the International Security Coalition of Clergy in Kew Gardens, Queens. The former cop is training fellow rabbis how to become rogue warriors and fight back under various attack scenarios, teaching them how to shoot guns, use everyday objects (like folding tables — you need to watch the video) as protection, use hand-to-hand combat, and defend against hostage-takers. So far the group has had 100 hours of training. Of course, Jewish law forbids carrying guns on the Sabbath, but some rabbis are willing to compromise on this. “Jews are not like Christians,” Moscowitz said. “If I turn my cheek, I’m coming around to make akick.”